Silvershell Estate
by irlus
Summary: Beth has been found after several months missing and keeps her story of how she managed to survive alone as a dark secret. She along with her sister, Glenn, Rick, lil' Judith, Carl, Michonne, Tarah, Sasha, Tyrese, Bob, and Carol will discover a place where to have a clean start. This place is a beautiful house called "Silvershell Estate."
1. Pure Soul

_**Hello everyone, this is a new and my first fanfic of The Walking dead. The story...well it does not begin as a clear beginning, but it is more like a mixed story that may go back and forth (sorta like those weird chapters of "Lost"). The story(ies) develop around the group (aka Rick and the fellows) finding a big house called "Silvershell Estate". It is the first place they have found in months that has the perfect balance of security and peace for everyone. As I explained above, it does not have a stated beginning, so that means it may not a concrete end. It is more, like a compilation of prompts and short fics of a couple of chapters that have a setting around this lovely place that you will know a bit more in every chapter and story I update.  
**_

_**At first I wanted it to be totally Bethyl, and the most of the stories wil be, but I may include a few others about the group and how they are developing through their new lifestyle.**_

_**As a fic writer I will appreciate possitive and constructive reviews and comments, as well as if you feel in the need to collaborate to the file of "Silvershell estate" please feel free to ask or suggest any idea (details may change by editor).**_

_**Here I give you a first chapter, a small story and I hope you enjoy it. **_

_**I am also announcing the creation of a second fanfic, and this is TOTALLY BETHYL. So spread the word and I hope your comments, doubts, questions, or suggestions in my tumblr addres**_

_**Hope to see you 'round very often, dears!**_

**;D**

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**CHAPTER 1:**

_**~Pure soul~**_

The sun was rising over the white and beautiful Silvershell. It used to be a big house full of people walking around the many rooms it had, and before the outbreak, even before modern era it used to be a cotton plantation. The grounds were big, not as big as the prison but broad enough to have a peaceful walk over the trees and the green gardens that were once white lines filled with workers picking cotton, remained untouched with twiggs and thorns but still alive. It was the safest zone they had in months, peaceful and relaxing like Greene's farm, but steady and secure just as much as the prison. The perimeter was secured by Abraham, Rosita and Eugene, with wired fence and trapps in exchange of what Rick and the group have made to keep them safe throughout breaking Terminus and helping them to keep going their way to DC.

Life was taking its natural course once again, after all they went through. Walkers appeared once or twice per week, and the night watches were more relax and even fun, around the fire, telling stories or having activities. Their sleeping habits were totally messed up, so whenever a few were sleeping at 7:00 p.m. the others were fully awake until sunrise.

* * *

It was the fifth night in a row Daryl couldn't sleep. The reason was Beth. Her deep blue eyes and the golden hay hair pulled in a messy ponytail kept him fully awake and concerned about tons of issues. Nobody knew his feelings for her as well he didn't know her feelings for him, if those were the same as his. He didn't want to admit it, but he was comletely in love with her. He remembered that night at the funeral home, his body resting on a coffin while she sang to him. Her voice so heavenly, so melodic. Addictive. It was a shame she wasn't the same since the day Rick and Michonne found her in the middle of the road. Even after two months he couldn't forget how she looked. Her raged clothes covered in dirt and blood, an empty look in her eyes, her lips cracked and her limbs covered in scratches and cuts from bushes, trees and sharp branches. She had run from danger. A herd of walkers, an animal or maybe something else…or someone else. Whatever the case was, it was useless to ask. She refused to talk to anyone about how she managed to survive alone. Even with Maggie. He couldn't stand to hear her screaming in the middle of the night, see her without that light in her eyes, that light that _changed_ his mind that night when she was taken.

He couldn't stand to keep quiet about the matter between them and how she refused to live again. She was like a walker, the only difference was that she was infected with sorrow, pain, and other tormentuous things Daryl didn't want to, but only imagined and listen in her nightmares that happened almost every night. "Morning, Daryl! are you hungry? breakfast is ready." called Carol from the kitchen while she saw him climbing dow the stairs. She and Maggie were heating what they had last night, stirring something in the stone oven.

"No, ain't hungry… am…I'm looking for Beth, have you seen her?"

"I think I saw her under the willow. But if I were you, I would keep my distance. I tried to take her in for breakfast and she didn't answer back." Maggie said with a serious look, like if Beth was an untamed beast ready to tear a paw over somebody.

"She is not in the right mood to talk, I think." answered Carol in her sweet and comprehensive tone. She gave him a smile and Daryl nodded leaving the house in silence.

The outdoors were blooming along with the first days of summer. The grass growing long enough to tickle the knees, the air filled with the scent of fresh flowers and herbs; Rick and Carl playing near the tomato plants with Judith who was now giving her first steps and small runs; Tyreese helping Sasha to chop wood for the stove; Glenn teaching Tara how to shoot and clean a gun.

The willow was near a small pond at the end of the grounds, a few yards away from the fence that divided the estate from the other properties. There, below the long pendant branches, was Beth, tugging her right knee under her chin and the other leg crossed under her. No expression in her eyes. An there it was Daryl, walking towards Beth, his chest bumping and the sound of his heartbeat thumbing inside his ears. Old memories were coming to the surface, back at when he was a kid who liked a girl from school and turned him down after he opened his heart. However there was something different this time. He was sure that Beth felt the same as he, yet he perceived she wouldn't take things in a normal way. After all she still was acting strange, avoided to socialize, to smile, even to speak.

Setting aside what Maggie said to him, he sat right next to her, leaning his back against the bark of the willow, his elbow touching hers. It took less than a second for her to flinch at the sensation.

"Hey" Daryl said almost as a hum, timidly looking towards the lake. Her expression didn't change. There was no response but a long and paused blink of her eyes. Beth, I wanted to tell you something." His heart raced. He was expecting a spark of surprise or intrigue from her, but it was like talking to a statue. "I was thinking of what you asked me…that day, at the funeral home," his words came to her ears, and this time she reacted to the comment. She slowly turned her head to him and her frown was one of fear and pain. She remembered every moment of it. No need to say "yes". He knew she did. She had been trying to forget it since the day she appeared from the woods to the road and saw Rick and Michonne in the middle of the road. It was like seeing heaven's gates.

"You asked me something that night, that thing that changed my mind." He grabbed eough air into his lungs "Beth, that thing is you. You are the girl….you are the woman that changed me." He paused to breathe in. "I…I love you."

Her eyes were forming tears, accumulated since several months of living nightmares. She turned her head to the opposite direction to cover her face. She hated Daryl to see her in her weakest moments. He had taught her to be strong and never give up, and after all the stuff she went through the time she was missing, it was a shame for her to be in a state of numbness like that. She felt weak and she didn't want to be, more even in front of the man she loved.

Daryl began to feel awkward. Her reaction was definitely not what he expected, and somehow he feared Beth didn't feel the same has he. He set bad thoughts away from his mind and kept going. "I know you don't wanna talk about what happened out I understand if you dont wanna do it now. I…_shit_ …I just wanted you to know it." He placed his hand on her knee, and she immediately jerked it away. That did surprise him. Beth could not hold herself any longer. A heartbreaking sob emerged from her lungs and broke in a painful and deep cry. All her demons were escaping in every sigh, in every silver and salad tear rolling down her cheeks. Daryl reached her to give her a hug but she slapped his arms just as if those were poisonous.

"Please don't…" Beth said with a trembling tone. Her eyes round in terror and surprise. "I can't…Daryl I can't be with you." She darted it directly, feeling his heart being smashed and delivered in her tiny hands. "it wouldn't be the right thing for you."

"right '_thing'_? why wouldn't _it_ be right, Beth" his tone higher enough to be heard by someone else. "is it that I am older? or that I am not charming enough for you?" He pushed himself and stood up, hot headed, this time he sounded angry, in fact desperate. "or…or that Maggie don't like me as a new brother? or the group talking about us…"

Beth stood up in front of him and barked at his face, fire in her eyes "NO, IT'S NOTHING OF THAT!" She was drifting from anger to pain until finnaly gave up and fell on her knees giving completely into shame. She bowed her head, tears rolled down over her pale skin and fell them to the green grass. "I…I was…they did…they forced me to. And now…I…" She embraced herself with one arm and her other hand gripped in the ground, nails diggin into the soil. "…they raped me, Daryl." She finnaly confessed. "Those fuckers held me as their doll. And I...I haven't...done anything like _that_ before" She was struggling to explain her point "I love you too, Daryl, and I wanted to be _yours_. Completely. But now I am ruined. That is why you can't be with me. You can't be with a stained soul."

All of her, every single part of her being was broken. Her body, her mind, her feelings. Daryl couldn't stand it. Frustration only made things worse. Anger, wrath rushed throughout his veins. He wanted to track those bastards and beat them to death. It was the least they deserved for what they had done to Beth. He punched the bark of the willow instead. "fucking assholes!" He knelt in front of her, cupped her face in her rough hands in the most tender manner and kissed her deeply. Beth accepted his proximity, opening her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. His warmth was something relieving, like balm on a burn. His scent, his touch was relaxing, a strong contrast bewteen the disgusting smell of smoke and smelly breath of those men who held her against her will and used her as a toy.

"You are the purest soul this damned world has ever had, Beth." Her cry intesified. "you don't have to worry anymore, sunshine. I swear, " he said lifting her face towards his, "Nothing and no one's gonna hurt you anymore. I won't permit it." Daryl buried his nose into her hair. Boths hand clutching her fragile frame against his chest wishing he could lock her inside it and protect her against the world.

A few minutes after, her sobbings ceased once for all. A sweet and comforting warmth invaded her body. Her nostrils expanded and detected the scent of the flowers, and the summer breeze caressed her skin like silk. Humidity streamed into her lungs inviting them to take a long and revitalizing sigh. The Infection was over. She was alive back again.

"You don't have to do this, Daryl"

"I want to. Now you are the most important thing in this shitty world, and I promise you 'll be safe." He planted a kiss in her temple. His hand caressing the line of her jaw.

"Always_._"


	2. Overprotection (part 1)

For the first time in months Beth was sitting alone and peacefully outside at the porch of the estate. Sunset blushed the sky in pink and orange, the air turning a bit crispy and cold caused her to shiver ocassionally but didn't matter for her. October was at their early days and Beth's belly didn't seem to grow more even when she was past the fourty weeks, it looked like she barely reached over the twenty five, however there were no signs of labor pain or any other symptom. Everything was perfectly normal. Despite their deficient food intake she was in good health, Daryl himself took care of that issue. He might not find delicious variety as in a buffet out there in the woods, but he tried his best for his pregnant wife. Once he saw a pheasant and chased it for two days until he got it and cooked it for Beth. She was so scared of he not coming back again, but the happiness in her eyes relieved his worries of leaving her alone.

Crimson lips and a pinkish skin were the signs of good blood pressure, her eyes looked even bigger crowned by thick and long lashes, her hair was longer, tips reached the middle part of her back, and even looked brighter, like 24k gold threads. She looked like a greek goddess.

Maggie and Glenn were taking care of Judith, now that Beth was not at her best to keep an eye on her. Glenn was making faces and coverin his eyes, an action that seemed so damn hilarious for Judith her laughters teased Maggie and she was pulling hard laughs at Glenn's expressions. Beth smiled and sighed at the idea that Daryl might be doing the same with their child any time soon.

Her baby, Daryl's child moved energically inside her, kicking, pushing, and stopping from time to time. Even he took breaks to let mommy rest a bit and keep on playing and moving freely and secure inside Beth's womb.

Maggie was going back inside with the playful Judith already asleep in Glenn's arms, her head resting on his shoulder and her face like that of a Seraphim.

"Are you staying outside?" Maggie asked surprisingly. "Better we go inside before Daryl can see us, or he will put an arrow through my ass." Glenn warned with a giggle. "Remember you're under my watch."

"Oh!" Beth rolled her eyes. "Just five minutes, ok? I'll catch you up inside." Glenn gave Maggie a fearing look and both darted into the estate. She was really enjoying that time. Since the very moment she told Daryl she was pregnant, his attitude changed completely. He was crazy happy about the idea of having a child with Beth, however he was always worried about her and he treated her like she was made of blown glass. "Beth don't climb the stairs!", "Beth don't make any effort!" "Don't go outside!" "It's getting dark, go back inside now!" "Don't use that knife! you can get cut!", "Don't open that jar! I'll do it for you!" He wasn't even sleeping well just to check on her. At the simplest whimper or movement she made, he stood up awake the rest of the night just to see if she was alright. Beth understood his worry, but after seven months it was givin her a hard time doing anything without he growling and even yelling at her, and he looked more tired than usual, which made him grumpier and his mood getting worse.

She was resting on a swing chair, her feet barely touching the wooden floor when she felt her knees a bit stiff and aching. She needed to stand up and have a small and quick walk before Daryl could see her. Eventhough she was heavier than before she needed to move and have her body used to the weight. What would happen when she needs to carry the baby in her arms and her legs could not stand the weight of a ten-pound child?

She climbed down to the ground and felt the grass between her toes. Slowly started to walk around the yard and feeling a delicious coldness climbing her feet. The beginning of sun had been gone since a very few minutes and darkness was taking over the woody valley when she saw somebody getting closer to her. At first she tought it was Daryl and rushed to get him but then fear ran over her back like cold water. It was a walker, a person recently turned, more hungry and agressive than other walkers that were rotten and weak to move. She had to run away asap. She was trying to keep calmed, turned her head to all directions to find a weapon, but the closest one was a heavy axe that was many feet away form her.

The walker was pretty close to scratch her or pull her arm and bite her, but she acted quickly. Her skinny arms struggled to lift the axe and smash it in its head. Half of it flew away spraying blood and brains over her navy blue dress and the body fell stumping the ground. Another shadow moved from the trees and she lifted her impractical weapon ready to attack again when her heart almost stopped. It was Daryl who was just back.

He felt cold ice sunk in the stomack when he saw her lovely wife covered in walker shit, struggling to hold an axe and keeping her balance. He threw the rabbits he hunted and his crossbow away from him,"BETH!" fear and worry filling his lungs while he raced to reach her.

"Jesus! Babe, are you alright? are you hurt?" His hands spreading her arms, eyes examining closely to the exposed skin and the blood stains over her round belly.

"Yes, yes I'm good. Im fine!" Beth answered, now getting the seriousness of the situation. She was strong and capable of taking care of herself, but her condition made her slower and more vulnerable.

"Why are you outside?" Anger climbing from toes to head. "You're not supossed to be here! Are you aware about what could've happened? TELL ME!" He was hysterical. His brows drawn together into a frown of concern and anger and both hands shaking her skinny elbows.

"I was taking a walk, that's all, ok?" Replied Beth using the same loud voice," If I have to spend one more minute being inside that house I'll go nuts!"

"And what would've happened if that walker reached you? Being outside is dangerous for a woman like you, why don't you get it?" his voice was shattering in wrath. He too had been going nuts just thinking the best ways to protect Beth and his unborn son in a world like the one they were living in, and just when he thought he had the things under control, Beth had to stand by herself and risk her life and their child's.

"No, why don't you get I need to live a little, Daryl Dixon?" her frown shrugged and determined, pointing a finger in the middle of his eyes "You can't protect me every fucking second of my life, neither I can." Carl and Tarah went outside along with Rick and Glenn who were drawn by the yellings. "Do you think I have a great time just wandering around the house while you're outside, exposed to all kinds of danger?" her voice broke in tears "It kills me knowing that you may not come back one day, and I was inside the house sitting pretty when I could have been right by your side, when I could have done something to...ooowh" She couldn't complete her sentence. Her eyes shrugged in pain and a moan escaped from her, both of her hands holding the lower side of her belly while her knees were bending over. Daryl fought the panic and held Beth from falling in the ground. Her hands gripped tightly around the sleeves of his shirt as if she could fade the pain away with that.

"Oh, God. Beth,baby!" She was in labor and he just held her in his arms, feeling stupid and totally useless. He had just caused this with his overreaction. If e could just be able to keep his mouth shut and his temper cool. Half second later a warm liquid poured down between her legs. Her water broke.

"Shit, not now. Maggie, MAGGIE!" Screamed Daryl while he held Beth in his arms, eyes forming tears of frustration at the fact he could'nt do a thing to help Beth from her pain…


	3. Overprotection (part 2)

Glenn had been pacing back and forth, holding baby Judith in his arms. She just had a full bottle of formula and fell asleep by the usual numbness after having a delicious and belly filling meal. Back at the kitchen Maggie was taking a can of chili beans from the cupboard for her and Glenn who now were hungry. The day had been active having Judith under their care, and that was something that emptied their energy batteries. Watching Glenn caressing Judith's small back lit something warm inside Maggie. She longed to be a mother, and the fact that her younger sister was heavy with Daryl's child made her feel a bit jealous. However she had never talked about it with Glenn. Maybe he was feeling the same as she, and that was a matter that both of them needed to state clear. After all, they were deeply in love with each other and there was no reason for not starting a family together.

Glenn watched Maggie and recognized that look in her eyes. He agreed with her. Glenn also wanted to be a dad, and have his son or daughter secured and loved in his arms like Judith was in that moment. His chest tightened when he pictured his wife peacefully asleep in the same swing chair where Beth was resting outside, with a soft bumped belly.

Sasha entered the kitchen and Maggie set her thoughts aside, as if she could read her mind. "Daryl's back?" Asked Sasha

"I don't know. He is taking longer than other of his trips into the woods." Maggie answered lifting a brow. "Why you asking?"

"I'm hungry, and I craving for a hot stew" Sasha said smirking at a bag she held in her hands.

"What is that?" A smile drawing in Maggie's face. Sasha emptied the bag in the sink. She had found white chubby mushrooms just half a mile from the estate. "and Rick just picked some potatos this morning" said Sasha having a wide smile across her face. "plus the squirrels, rabbits or any other animal Daryl brings tonight..."

"That would be perfect!"

"...Maggie, MAGGIE!" She heard Daryl's alarmed callings from the backyard. Immediately dropped the can and the pocket knife she was using to open the can and ran to the back door, her feet moving fast to where he was. Her guts twisted as she saw her sister clenching her fists in Daryl's shirt, screaming in pain with her face blushed red covered in sweat, and her dress stained with blood from the walker she killed minutes before.

"What the hell happened?" her green eyes nervously wide diggin into Daryl's

"She is in labor. Help me get her inside!" replied Daryl who held Beth from down her arms, struggling for not letting her fall completely on the ground.

"Why she has blood?" Her voice trembling with anxiety.

"She killed a walker with an axe" Daryl passed Beth to Maggie's hands.

"What?"

"Stop fucking asking and take her inside! her water broke!" His patience was running low by that moment. A soft voice was telling him to calm down but another voice, louder than the other one was telling him to slap Maggie with the back of his hand.

Carol raced next to Beth and held her from behind, rubbin her back in small and slow circles, trying to sooth a little bit her pain. Maggie asked for Glenn to help them placing Beth in the bedroom downstairs and get all the blankets and towels he could find. Everybody inside the house were moving around like in a hospital. Sasha and Tarah dug into their first aid kits to get anything useful, Michonne and Bob brought wood to light up the stove and boil water, while Carl was picking some clothes in which Judith didn't fit anymore.

Rick and Tyreese were outside with Daryl, who was pacing around the porch impatiently, his right hand rubbing his forehead and his left hand against the wall. His world was spinning so fast he felt sick. Rick got close to him and put a hand over his back

"She'll be fine, Daryl. Carol and Maggie will help her through."

"It was all my fault. If I just...God, I'm an asshole. A FUCKING asshole" His voice threatened to break into sobs. "I just wanted to keep her safe..." His body gave in and fell onto the floor. His forhead resting on his knees, trying to drown hurting sobs and hide his tears from Rick. Just as Beth hated to show weakness in front of him, Daryl hated to break into million pieces in front of the guys. They thought him as strong, as someone hard to knock down, but in that moment his strenght was pending from a thread.

"She just wanted to have a walk. I n...I never let her do it. If I had been with her...but I was in the woods instead." His words cut by interrupted sobs and heavy breathing

"Listen to me, Daryl," Rick got close and held Daryl by his shoulders, "Beth is a strong woman. She has gone through a lot of stuff but never gave up. She took care of herself and survived alone. She can, and she will be okay, you hear me?" Rick wanted to help Daryl in some way but he knew it was just a matter of time to have both Beth and the baby healthy and safe. Or in the worst case...

Rick shook his head and paced in front of Daryl. His mind revived that bitter memory of Maggie holding her newborn daughter and that look in her eyes tat told him Lory didn't make it. It was a shocking contrast: having his baby girl in his arms, a warm light in his life while her wife, the reason of standing every day and survive, was gone for ever. He knew that feeling so well. It was the worst ever felt in his life, like if his heart was ripped off from his chest.

"I don't wanna lose her again" said Daryl plainly, his eyes swollen and red. He cleaned his tears with the sleeve of his flannel shirt and sighed deeply.

"You won't. She needs you now more than ever, and I'm pretty damn sure she will make it."

They were dealing a delicate matter. Daryl's mind was filled with Rick's expression of sorrow after he knew Lory was dead. How he spilled his soul in every tear while her daugher gave her first cries in Maggie's arms. He knew Rick was stirring those memories once again, and Rick knew that Daryl was thinking of it too, but none of them wanted to sail on those waters. Rick as keeping Daryl calmed, and Daryl letting things untouched.

Back inside the house, Beth gripped Maggie's hand to a hurting point but she didn't mind at all. She could bear any other thing but to see her younger sister suffering. "C'mon Bethy, you can do it, just breathe, sweetie, breathe!"

"aaahhh...it was my fault!" She stated between her cryings. "I should've stayed inside aaaahhh!"

"Listen, it was not your fault! Neither Daryl's" though she wanted to admit it out loud after his mad behavior of over protecting her sister.

"He was just...uugh...just trying to protect me, and I...AAAHH...I screwed it up!" The sweat from her temples mixed with her tears all rolling uncomfortably down her face to her neck and to the crook of her breast.

"Beth, darling...whenever you're ready" Said Carol at the edge of the bed, hands ready under Beth's blue dress. She wasn't ready at all.

"I'm so scared, Carol." admitted between a sob and a whimper.

"Don't be, sweetie. Look, whenever you feel the pain once again, you have to push, and push like you mean it, ok?"

"AAAAAAGH! I can't!"

* * *

The night had already fallen completely under the estate. Stars began to blink and twinkle like diamond dust over the dark velvet sky, and the sound of froggs and crickets was the only relaxing thing they could hear. Beth's cryings and screamings only cause Daryl to lose his mind. His soul was torn apart at every scream escaped from inside the house. He wanted to be there right next to her, have her in his arms and hold her hand, kiss her enough to take her pain away and vanish it into the night. He couldn't avoid to flinch at every one of her cryings. His hands pulling his hair and his teeth clenched till they hurt. If he had to listen her suffering just one more time...

"Now, Bethy, push!" Maggie said encouraging her sister, praying inside for everything ending just well. She was thinking about the day Judith was born, and quickly erased the thought from her mind of walking towards Daryl with his son in her hands and leaving her sister's dead body inside the bedroom, just as she did with Lory a couple of years ago.

Beth was terrified of losing her child. Her baby twisted and pushed his way out of her painfuly, her legs felt like jelly and her strenght was giving in. She tried to push but at every try a small part of her soul escaped from her. If that was the end, better be it for her and not for her child.

"Keep going Bethy, you're doing great!" cried Maggie in a smile mixed with tears, keeping hands clutched with her sister's.

"Just one more, Beth and that's it" agreed Carol who was ready to hold the baby.

"Maggie...I need you to promise me..."

"Not now, sweetie, talk later now you have to push" Maggie knew what her sister wanted to say but she shove that ugly feeling away, her hands shaking with fear.

"...if something goes wrong, you will take care of my baby as your own, and look after Daryl" finished Beth with a tired sigh. Her eyes drifring from Maggie's face to the ceiling. Maggie resisted the urge to cry and hid her bitter sadness behind an angry scream and a strong jolt.

"shut the fuck up, Beth, don't say that ever!"

"Don't give up, Bethy, we're almost done."said Carol, hands rubbing Beth's tights up and down. Her life force was extinguishing but her inner strenght hadn't died for all. From deep inside her being, she gathered her last stream of power and pulled a harsh and soul-tearing scream, all her force bet on bringing her son to the world. After feeling her baby out of her belly, her sight began to blur, the dim light of the kerosene lamps faded away, the tension in her limbs eased completely and her head fell loose against the pillows. The urgent cries of her newborn baby were the last thing she heard after everything went dark.

Back outside, Daryl was dying, impatient for not being close to Beth. His thoughts poisoned by death, loneliness, and sorrow. He wanted to stay positive but the idea of suffering another loss lingering his mind didn't help that much. He wouldn't know what to do if he lost her or lost his child. That would be it for him. A life worthless to live, a living dead like the walkers he killed every day. Buth whichever the case was, he had to stay strong, strong for his family. He had to hold on just a bit more. He heard her pulling her last scream from inside, her pain infiltrated in his own skin, and that was it. He lost his patience and stood up in a single jump, crossed the door frame and darted inside towards Beth's. "Daryl, wait!" Rick pulled him from his shirt and held him immobilized from down his arms to his shoulders, as if he was trying to arrest Daryl "Calm down! hey, hey...just calm dow!" Rick's words were as worthy as the money in those times. Nothing could be fine screaming like the way Beth did.

"Lemme go, Rick! I have to be there!" Daryl said in tears, struggling to get away from Rick. The door opened fast. Daryl held his breath, and Maggie came out of the room. Her expression broken and her eyes red from the thousands of thin veins. "Bring Bob now! BRING HIM NOW!" Later on she shut the door.

The uncertainty was eating him from inside out. Bob showed up confussed as hell, as Rick slowly let Daryl go, who looked puzzled too.

The door opened from inside one more time and Maggie pulled him into the room closing the door with a loud shut. Before she let him see what was going on she held herself in his shoulders and aksed cautiously:

"Bob, you know how to do CPR, right?" Bob's expression darkened. He turned his head and his heart broke into million peaces. Beth's body was resting on the bed, motionless and pale, her clothes soaked in sweat and her arm hangin from the edge of the bed. Carol was at the other side of the room, crying and cleaning a small baby wrapped in a piece of blanket. He did know how to do an CPR, he was trained to. There was no time to waste on. He sat his fear aside, just as he was told back in the training course, and asked Maggie to get out of the room. He grabed Beth's body and rapidly but in a careful way placed it on the floor, aligning her head and pushing his breath from his lungs into hers.

"Maggie what's going on there?" Asked Daryl who was about to lose his mind. "Why you needed Bob inside, Maggie?" Daryl threatened her, sat in the couch of the living room, her eyes on the floor.

"I can't until he's out." She refused to say a word. She knew Daryl well enough to predict he would react in a violent and unexpected way, and that was the least he needed right now. Tension filled the air, Carl was upstairs taking care of Judith, Tara and Sasha were next to Maggie rubbing her back and giving her comforting words, but nothing could ease her feelings, not until she saw Bob going out of the room, either with good news or bad news. Inside the bedroom, the waiting was killing Bob as well as Maggie who had to deal with Daryl outside the room. Bob knew there was a small chance to bring Beth back, yet that small chance could be her salvation. He could not go without giving a fight. She had been so sweet to him, so comprehensive when she found out about his alcohol issues. She was there supporting him in every of his weakest moments, and now he was the one who had to stand for her.

It was the sixth try and there was no response at all. Beth's skin looked extremely pale; her hair messed up in the floor tangled in swirls, dark circles surrounding her eyes, her lips of a gray blue and her skinny shoulders jumping and shaking her lifeless frame at every push he made to her chest. He better closed his eyes. If she was already dead, he prefered to keep any other memory of her except that moment.


	4. Overprotection (part 3)

_**Hello, everyone! This is the third (but not final) part of "Overprotection". This story, as well as other stories to publish in a near future, have a sequence and a prequel, so I invite you ti keep close attention to the chapters and the details in them. I have to apologize to those persons who were expecting this part was published yesterday or the day before it, but I was having technical issues with the site (it is not my fault).**_

_**Keep on your reviews and enjoy it.**_

**;D**

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A slow melodic chant of a bird emerged from the window of her bedroom. The soft scented breese that entered from the window announced the coming of Spring. Beth started to feel her energy streaming inside her veins, slowly taking her to full consciousness. Her eyes ached by the bright light from the window that filtered through her eyelids. When she finally opened her eyes, she was wrapped in her soft blankets of her bedroom back at the farm.  
_Was it all this a bad dream? the walkers, the prison, Terminus, Silvershell...**Daryl**?_

She sat herself and put her hands over her belly to discover that it wasn't full and round anymore. Her feelings were still present, anger, frustration, she yelling at Daryl, the pain had been so real, her tears, the warm and slick sensation of her water running down between her legs, Maggie holding her hand...

Someone called by the door. Three soft knock she distinguished immediately. The door opened from outside.

"Morning, sweetheart! how are you feeling?" It was her father. His warm and kind smile made her feel so relieved. She was at home, safe. Her chest was filled with a good energy, her heart beating strong and fast. A wide smile in her face, and her deep blue eyes open and excited to see what she was seeing.  
Hershel entered the room, limping from his leg. Fear rushed her from tip to toe when she saw that he had a wooden prosthesis. His face grew a long white beard in just a matter of seconds, and his perfectly ironed white shirt was old and yellow. He grabbed a chair and sat next to her daughter.

"Why are you here, Bethy?" Hershel Asked her in his low firm voice, hands crossed over his lap.

"This is home, daddy. Why am I not supposed to be here?"

"You can't be here, darling, not yet." He said, like if being there was something forbidden and worth to be grounted for. Her heart raced fast. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. _If all of what she lived was a dream, why his father had no leg? why his clothes looked raged and old?_

"What do you mean with that? I want to be at home, with you!" she wanted to cry but her eyes didn't drop a single tear. "Daddy, I miss you so much!"

"This is not your home anymore, Bethy." His voice still sounded cold and direct. "Do you want to give up, Bethy?" his words confused her more and more every time he spoke. A sudden thrust in her chest made her head shook a bit as she saw horrified how her wrist had fresh cuts and the blood emerged again along with the pain.

"I am not giving up, daddy, I want to stay here!" Her voice broken trying to cover her desperation towards her wrist bleeding out.

"I will not let it happen, you hear me? We all have jobs to do, Bethy." His frame arose long and steady from the chair. "She needs you."

"Who needs me?" Beth asked confused. "Maggie?"

"Your daughter, Bethy. You gotta live for her, and for Daryl." her head shook again with two more thrusts from her chest. His dad sat right next to her. His hands on hers. "I love you so much, sweetheart."He said to her, smiling.

"Daddy, wait"

"You gotta live for them."

Her breath turned heavy, her heart shrugged inside her chest, her vision blacked out and the warm yellow light of her bedroom vanished away. Beth's body was pulled from below the bed and it was dragged down to a dark pit. The moment she opened her eyes the dim light of the bedroom made her head spin while she recognized a familiar face hovering her figure. It was Bob who had his eyes closed and his hands applying pressure to her chest. He felt her move weakly under his hands and the world recovered its light once again. She began to twist a little, and slowly tried to sit but her body was too weak and ached due to her labor pain and the constant pushings on her chest that fell to the ground. He stepped back, smiling and crying at the same time. His temples covered in sweat, and his wrists ached from the constant tries to revive Beth felt like the best reward in the world.

* * *

"What is he doing to my wife?" Daryl barked furiously at Maggie, trying to not lose himself completely. His demands began to turn harrasements towars her, who was also struggling with the idea that she may lose Beth forever.

"He's checking on Beth and the baby, that's all" She could have said something better. She knew Daryl didn't buy that.

"Bullshit!" Daryl answered back. He just guessed why Bob was inside, the image poisoning his temper and making him angrier than before. "Maggie, please tell me the truth" he knelt in front of her, doing what he once stated he will **never** do it in his entire life: beg to a woman.

"Stop it, Daryl" Glenn defended Maggie, "She's got enough to endure in just a couple of hours. You have to calm down!"

"You ain't got the right to tell me that shit, Glenn, you've got no kids to worry about!" The damage was done. Glenn stepped back hurt by the words of Daryl. He was right, Glenn and Maggie had no kids to worry at all, and eventhough they knew that feeling perfectly -when they met again in the train tunnel- having such a worry for a living being of their own like a child was something that made them feel outcasts. The comment really pissed Maggie off. She couldn't hold herself more and jumped from the couch to punch Daryl in the face.

Things were getting violent, totally out of control when Bob opened the door and went out, his eyes on Maggie and then on Daryl. All the presents held their breaths and stood in silence. Maggie's heart twisted inside her chest, Daryl's fists clenched in desperation, both od them waiting for the worst.

"She's fine." Bob said with a smile. Daryl didn't wait for more and went inside the room. Maggie's temper broke and ran directly towards Bob. She let her cry and sob till her head ached, tugged in his chest. She owed him a great one. He had saved her sister's life.

Inside the bedroom, Carol was litting two more kerosene lamps when she turned her head and saw Daryl coming in.

"Is she fine? Beth."Asked him trying to catch his breath and fight a dry and cold knot in his throat.

"Yes, she's in perfect health."Said Carol, still with tears in her eyes.

"and the baby?"

"Shhhh!" She put a finger across her lips, smiling at him. Daryl felt his heart melting when he saw Beth holding their baby in her arms. Her face was totally different from what is was a couple of hours ago: her skin was pale and her lips seemed a bit dry. Her golden hair tangled in knots around her temples and the back of her neck, her collarbone more pronounced made her look skinnier, as if life itself escaped from her and went back again -exactly as it happened.

Her cheeks blushed when she saw Daryl's long frame in front of her. "Hey" She said with a tired but genuine smile.

"Are you okay?" he sat next to her, placing a hand in her face feeling her skin a bit colder than usual.

"Yes, I'm fine." She answered back. "I think there is someone who wants to meet you." Beth passed the baby to her daddy lowering her voice for not to wake up the baby.

"It's a girl." Daryl held his baby girl as he got lost in her eyes, two blue marbles like his, and her milk white face like Beth's. Right in that moment he remembered he used to wonder when he was a young boy, "would it be possible for a man to bear all the feelings in this world in just one moment? Each specific feeling know by makind in just one single instance?"And just as that, his question was answered.

"You know? I was thinking," Beth's voice husky and rough after all she screamed. "we've never picked a name." She leaned against the pillow behind her head, resting once and for all.

Daryl was shocked at the beauty of that little person craddled in his big arms."I can't think with those eyes looking at me." She giggled at his comment. Daryl didn't know what to say or what to think. He felt the biggest man on earth, but at the same time he felt a complete jerk, unworthy of being the father of such a beauty . He had the two most wonderful girls in the world and he almost loses them both that same night without being able to avoid it. He saw right through his past, his mistakes, his achievements that were almost none compared to the rest of the group. He felt so small and weak at those tiny hands wrapped in his harsh thumb, but also felt like bullet proof and invincible for that little princess and her beautiful queen.

"She is so graceful my heart aches!" He said wipping his tears off his cheeks. Beth's face glowed again with her wide smile. His electric gaze fell on Beth's round eyes, who were fighting to stay awake but tiredness was heading in first place.

"I'm sorry for what I told you outside." She talked first, "I didn't mean it. I know you can keep us safe, I know you can watch over us at any time. I know it because I've seen what you've done for us, I know you love us." Her voice was lingering around the landmark of awareness and subconscious.

"No, Beth, I..."

"and now I get it." she interrupted before he could say anything "I would also give my life for you if necessary, and also for our daughter. I wouldn't think it twice if they let me choose."

"Shhh, Beth stop!" Daryl said to her, his face frowned in anguish. "Listen to me, I've been a complete ass on you. I yelled at you, treated you like useless thing, I tried to keep you safe from this fucking world gone to hell, but now I know it's impossbile."he said fighting tears back "The...the idea of losing you once more, you and our kid...I ...I couln't bear it. It'd be my end." The mixture of emotions were so intense inside him he could only shove it away by puting a soft caressing kiss in her newborn daughter's forehead. He had been strong for her, been brave for her. He would have done anything for his wife. But that strenght meant nothing without her by his side.

"I won't go anywere without you. Even more now that our daughter's here with us. I promised him I won't ever give up again" Beth exhaled deeply.  
"Whatcha mean?"

"He told me 'we all have jobs to do, Bethy'" This time she was entering into her subconscious with eyes closed. "He told me I should go back and live for our daughter."

She had said the word 'live'. Daryl was getting scared. "Who told you that?"

"My dad. He was right here." Beth opened her eyes and pointed them to the empty side of the bed, tapping it with her hand. This time she wasn't fooling around. Something cold and heavy sank inside his guts. It was too much for him. Daryl let himself cry in silence and took her languished hand on his.

"I love you, Daryl Dixon," Beth said in a voice so soft and tender it made him cry more intentsely, "besides...I'll be the one who teaches our daughter to sing, cause your sing is terrible." she giggled weakly. He giggled too, chasing away his sad feelings,"yeah, and I'll teach her how to hunt with my crossbow, cause you have terrible aim." Daryl answered with a giggle, cupping his baby away from Beth. He smirked playfully.

Carol showed in front of them, her hands fully cleaned against her tights. "Bethy, dear, how are you feeling?" Beth smiled and nodded in silence. Carol placed a hand on Beth's forehead and smiled and sighed in relief. "Daryl, I don't want to interrupt you, but I think Bethy needs to rest and have some sleep. It's been a long night for all of us."

Daryl gave Beth a worrying look. "I'll be right outside this room, any farther, I swear."

"told you I won't go anywhere." answered Beth. A weak smile drawn in her face.

Carol placed a hand in his back leading him outside the bedroom. "Come on new daddy, lets get some formula and clothes for your girl. By the way, do you guys have a name?"

He stopped at the door frame and turned his eyes over the small bundle of pinky white cheeks he had in his arms and gave her gorgeous mother resting in the bed a warm look. "Grace." his voice deep and strong. Her name on his lips was like a prayer, a chant of life.

"Grace. I like it" Beth answered back, her eyes already closed but still aware of the situation.

"Yeah," Daryl agreed in a smile "Gracie Dixon."


	5. One night stand

**_Hello, everyone! _  
**

**_Here I am, not giving up. I present you one more chapter. This one is about Joe and his guys finding something interesting in their way. _**

**_I wanted it to have more, I feel that something is missing, but I think I will discover it later._**

**_As for you, keep on your reviews, anything you want to say or to ask, or to express, go ahead dears, I'lll be waiting your comments and reviews._**

**_enjoy it and have a great day!_**

**;D**

* * *

The sun was moving forward fast, and the thick grey clouds in the sky kept the sun untraceable. The white light from the sky could last half an hour at least, enough time to find a decent place around the woods and settle a camp. "We gotta keep moving, boys, it's getting cold here outside."

"I think we should cam here, Joe" Said Harley behind Joe, who turned his head behind his back and smirked scornfully.

"Hell no, we anin't stayin' in the outside. Keep walkin' gentlemen, I know a good place near these lands where we can rest the night."

As they were moving forward, walking over an almost imperceptible path, the woods revealed a big estate in the middle of the forest surrounded by a tall iron fence. It was a big white house with enough room for an army.

"Holy shit, Joe, how'd you knew 'bout this place?" Asked Tony, his jaw dropped.

"See the importance of knowing history, boy. This used to be the mansion of Lord Silvershell, one of the main cotton producers in the region. My grandpa use to tell me tons of stories 'bout this place, and took me here when I was a kid." Joe trusted his wit. He wasn't the smartes guy in school, nor the best in any sport, but sure he had a good memory and great orientation skills.

"See? Here."Joe's finger pointed to a message in the fence carved in a bronze plaque:

_Silvershell Estate._

_Est. September 29, 1815._

Joe used the back of is gun hit the rusty padlock and pop it open. The chains fell to the ground in a scandalous stump and the gates opened creaking, a sound proper of a horror movie that fit awkwardly with the astonishing view of Silvershell. The four pillars in the front were covered in withered ivy up to the ceiling, the grass that used to be green in the summer tinted in old yellow, like the pages of an ancient book. There were traces of rosebushes that were covered in thorns and dry weed inside two stone vases, each one in the sides of the stairs of the porch.

Joe gave a silent order to be ready with their weapons in case the house was full of walkers, or there was another people inside the house. He opened the doors and kicked them outloud. Not a single walker showed up.

"It's a helluva place, here, boys. Take whatever you like it and claim the bedroom you like the most. I claim the owner's bedroom, wherever it is. We're staying here for a good while." Commanded Joe to his boys, who didn't think it twice and spread all over the house. Joe and his men had been walking for days, scavenging old shacks and empty houses with nothing more to offer than broken windows, shattered doors, raged clothes and small trinkets totally useless as weapons. But they haven't had any lucky to find a place like such in months.

The weather outside became less friendly, agressively cold and tempestuous with every day passed, and having Silvershell in front of them was an oportunity they could not waste. The hardwood floors were covered with dust and dirt, dry leaves stuck in the corners, brought inside the house by the swirling wind of a coming winter. They weren't expecting to find any food in that place, and the idea of going to the surrounds and hunt something to eat made them think about devouring each other.

Once the night settled down, the cold came along with too, and as proper of a big house, it became a hard time to warm up the entire house. The furniture that used to be ellegant artworks pieces were torn apart and thrown to the fireplace. Everything that could be burnt was thrown into the fireplace: books, chairs, even a door from upstairs worked as firewood that night. Even when such invaluable objects were reduced to less than ashes, Silvershell still had its vibe of majesty and ellegance.

Joe entered the library, drawn by the big leathered chair in front of a dark wooden desk. He put his bag in the floor and inspected the place meticulously. Papers, folders, boxes all over floor spread on the carpet but nothing he could claim as his. _What was the point of claiming such a great place if it has nothing to offer? _He threw the books from the bookshelf to the floor, frustrated. His grey brows drew together in confussion when he noticed that a few books stood in its place. It was a secret box made of fake books that contained something he claimed the instant he saw it: a bottle of whisky "Jackpot!" He grinned at the treasure in his rough hands . With a soft twist of his fingers he opened the lid and give it a big gulp that burned his throat and pleased his mouth. He drank from the bottle a couple of times more and closed it to ration its content. He didn't know how long it would last.

. . .

The marauders were exploring every room upstairs but there was nothing they could claim as theirs, neither. Rooms were all the same: a white bed, a nightstand table, a small drawer across the room and two kerosene lamplights. All of them except for two rooms left.

Dan and Len opened the doors and each one got something totally different from the other. Len opened the door first and he found a room with pink wallpapers and a dresser at the bottom. "Claimed!" said Dan with a grinn and tapped his hands to the door he opened. Len stared at him wishin he could just put an arrow through his throat. He entered the room and noticed it was too girly, which seemed to belong to the owner's daughter. The room was bigger than the others he'd seen. There were two doors in front of the bed, that led to a long balcony that surrounded the entire house. The bed was bigger and softer, still with a faint smell of rose oil from inside the blankets. The dresser had a couple of perfume bottles, two more drawers in each side, a pair of comb and brush, and a jewelry box. After he checked every drawer and saw nothing more than clothes and a small notebook, he centered his attetion towards the jewelry box. He emptied its content and found a small seashell shaped locket. It was absolutely useless to him, it didn't serve as food nor as a weapon, but he was drawn instantly by that object; it was like being hexed by the silver trinket in his hands. He could not stare to other things except that detailed silver seashell lines.

"Claimed" he whispered to himself, saved the pendant in the front pocket of his leather jacket, kicked off his boots and jumped into the bed. He felt stupid being in a girl's room but he couldn't deny that was the best bed he had rested on in years.

. . .

The next morning, the same grey clouds covered the sky like a white lamp screen. Cold was now settled in every corner of ever room in the house. Joe opened his eyes, still tired and drowsy, stuck under the blankets of his wide bed. His stomach growlings had woken him up, irritated at the fact that they didn't find anything to eat nor any other useful tools. The kitchen was empty and the jars of salt and baking soda inside the cupboard would not serve as much as the few cans the had with them.

"Ok, ladies, present your claims." Called Joe, standing in the middle of the living room. He pulled out the whisky bottle he found in the library and claimed it in front of his men. Harley and Dan presented just a small pocket knife and a candle holder; Tony presented a wooden stake made of one leg of a drawer. "I sharped it the whole night."

"What's that for?" Asked Joe to Harley pointing to the candleholder. He shrugged his shoulders and waved his fists up and down. "I can smash a head with that. It's pure silver."

"Interesting observation, Harley." Joe said sarcastically. "What else do you have?" Len took out the silver locket he found in the girl bedroom and showed it proudly to Joe, grinning as if he found the biggest treasure in the world.

"You found no food?" Joe barked at his crew. The three of them stood quiet exchanging stares between them.

"Stupid assholes." Growled Joe running a hand through his grey hair. "Grab your shit. We move on."

"what?"

"but why? this is a great place to st..."

"It is useless without food, you shitty white trash!" Joe exploded, his face red in anger. "Winter's ahead. We are running out of food, and you only have a candleholder, a locket, a knife and a wooden stake to survive? One thing is sure, if we are attacked by vampires or werewolves we can defend ourselves."For him, the splendor of Silvershell meant nothing if he couldn't keep his group and himself alive and worse if the place he expected to be a shelter became less than the old shacks he explored, even less than the small house they found in the road, where an unknown bastart killed one of his men.

He grabbed his gun, packed again the whisky and walked to the entrance without saying a word. Dan and Harley followed him taking their treasures with them. Len stared at Joe who was now far away from the estate. "I think this is a good botty." Len said to himself, putting his lucky charm back to his front pocket.


	6. Cursed

**_Hello, dears. In this chapter you will discover what was of Beth and of the people who took her that night at the funeral home. Also a small story about the people who used to live at Silvershell._**

**_I just want to say I am so pleased by your comments and favs. It might be a few, but I am happy to know there are peope who like my work. _**

**_Keep sharing it, and hope you enjoy it the same way I do it writing it._**

**;D**

* * *

Beth felt her mouth dry. Her head spinned and felt her stomack uneasy. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but pitch dark. She quickly ran her hands over her body to find any bite or any wound but she was ok. She touched the floor and felt the vibration of footsteps from outside the room.

"May I...?" said a man peaking his head into the dark room. Beth shrugged her eyes to the light that came from the other room, hiding her head between her arms. Her weak body winced at the small kick he gave to her when passed a plate with food and a glass of water. She refused to take it and spit to his face. She saw no point on asking who were they, or what do they want. If they were good people, what was the point of having her in a dark room after they took her against her will and put a soaked handkerchief on her nose?

"Well I think we should introduce ourselves." He said wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt, a warm smile in his face. "My name is Noah Miller. I am the owner of the funeral house. The men who dragged you to the car are my two sons: Abraham and Jacob." His voice was calmed, with no signs of madness or irony or sarcasm. "You'll see, we brought you here so you can help us to get through this difficult times. As you know we all have...certain needs to satisfy."

Beth's skin chilled and felt every pore of it bumped against her clothes, her heart beating fast.

"But...well I will not bore you with details. So..." He passed again the plate with food and the glass of water, pointing with his hand to take a bite. She kicked the plate and spilled the water over his face. He pulled her hair into his fist and fixed his gaze on her.

"Well, darling, if you want to starve to death, we will have to toss you to the creatures outside," his tone sweet and low, as if talking to a little child "do you want that? I don't. It would be a shame having this beautiful skin being ripped off by those demons outside." His breath smelled like rotten flesh and smoke, different from Daryl who also smoked a lot, but the scent of his skin soothed her, the perfect mixture of smoke, woods, wet soil and fresh water; this, otherwise, made her sick. His mouth filled with twisted yellow teeth and thin twisted lips. He ran his fingers over her cheeks down her breasts. She jerked them off with her elbow, her blue eyes filled with tears and anger.

"Ok, darling, your way then. Abe, come in, you'll go first." The door opened once again and she saw a tall blonde boy eclipsing her small frame with his shadow. He looked young, no more than 20, but his height and complexion were of a thirty year old man. Wide chest and broad shoulders, strong hands and long legs. He started moving slowly towards Beth, grinning stupidly with deformed yellow teeth.

"What do I do now, father?"

"Ok, first, you have to hold her tightly."

Beth widened her eyes in surprise, her heart jumping from her chest. She didn't know exactly what they were going to do, but she had an idea of it. She jumped quickly from the floor and ran towards the still open door but Abe moved faster. He pulled her and held her tight from her wrists, both hands firmly clutched she feared he could break her bones like woodsticks. She escaped a whimper as he shook her and threw her agains the floor. The hit made her vision blurred and his limbs didn't respond. She felt the unpleasant body heat of Abe hovering her figure, both hands pulling her jeans off. She kicked him and crawled away from him as much as she could with her hurted wrists.

"Hold her, don't let her go!" Said Minister Miller, excited and passionate as if watching a football match.

Abe pulled her from her ankles and flipped her on her back, his fist smashed against her face. Beth was unconcsious, her eyes didn't blink nor her limbs moved an inch.

"I killed her, father!" Said Abe in his retarded accent, fully concerned about his actions.

"No, you didn't, son. She is alive. Now tell me, what do we do next?"

Abe grinned and pulled an awkward laughter. "Yes, I undress her."

"And after that?"

"I take her, father"

"Great, my boy. Now I give you some privacy. Have fun."

For practical matters, it worked better for Beth to be unconscious in that moment. What Abe did to her was something beyond the sane limits of a human mind.

The next morning she opened her eyes and felt a bit colder tha usual. She rolled in a cold blanket and found out it was the only piece of clothing she was weraing. Her arms were stiff and aching, the pain of her wrists was killing her. She could feel her heartbeat run through the swollen junctures of her hands and also in different areas of her body. If she could have seen herself in a mirror, she would be able to see the several marks and bruises all over her body. Hits, open wounds made with razors, teeth marks in her breasts, his fingers bruised in the skin of her legs and arms, and a deep soreness between her legs.

Beth's eyes watered. She has never felt so helpless and broken in her life. Not even when she saw The Governror slid his father's head. She had been abused and there was nothing she could have done to avoid it. When she noticed that there was not a single piece of her clothes over the floor, she pulled the blanket and covered her naked body and curled herself in the darkest corner of the room. She flinched at the darts of pain from inside her belly, her cheeks wet in tears.

The door opened. She crawled back to the wall, covering every inch of her exposed skin. It was Minister Miller. He came with a plate with food and a glass of water.

"I'm sorry for Abe. It was the first time for him and, well, he's learning how to do it, I apologize." He said to her, his voice calmed and kind, as if the events of the last night were a childish accident.

"There is something I wanted to ask you the other day. I saw you and your friend back at our home, eating our food and taking our place." He was talking about Daryl. "I saw the way he looked at you, how he ran his sinful sight on your body. Is he your man? because if that is the case, darling you're too young for him. He, he is not a son of God. I don't know if you know it, but he is already damned. I have seen through his soul and he is not a good man. He's done much evil than you can imagine. And you, you want him desperately, right?" His voice shifted from kindness to madness.  
"I know you think of him over you, his body against yours rolling in the bed, rocking back and forth till you can't stand it, right?" Beth was scared, but she couldn't fight back the sensation of her cheeks burning.

"See that?" he pointed his eyes to her cheeks "Don't deny that you are in love with that evil man." She saw him smile. For Beth, it was like seeing Satan himslef grinning at her.

"You know, you reminded me of Lady Silvershell. Have you heard about her?" Beth shook her head.

"Well, you and she have a lot in common. You'll see, she was the youngest daughter of Lord Silvershell. He used to run a cotton plantation near this area" He said waving his finger, "and the Lord be my witness, she was extremely beautiful, just like you. But she was cursed when she was born. They say she was forbidden to any man who wanted her. But one day she went against the laws of God." He tangled his fingers, nodding his head "Yeah. She fell in love with the wrong man: Jack Benson, the foreman of Silvershell. His filthy mind locked her inside, he wished her, he wanted her to be his and only his. So he stole her and ran away, vanishing into the air. Lord Silvershell was devastated. His only jewel has been robbed by the only man he trusted. So he promised..." someone knocked the door "Father, it's my turn!"

"Oh...I'll be going now, Jacob." replied in a yell. "I think I'm going to stop here, but long-short story: she ended with a bullet in her chest, and all because of his sick thoughts that poisoned her mind and their disobeyance towards God's will. Let me tell you something. Don't think this story is different from yours, he is not the right man for you. Both of you are cursed forever and you two will have the same traggic end of Lady Silvershell and her foreman."  
"C'mon, father, I want!"

"Hush, boy, hush." He opened the door and a boy as tall as Abe entered the room. It was Jacob, the young one. His face looked disgruntled "Why were you taking so long?" he reproached.

"I was telling her a story, nothing more, I promise."He petted his son's shoulder. "She's all yours." He glared at her, a diabolic smile in his lips, seeding a fear inside Beth so poisonus, so sickish she felt her body rot from inside out.

The door closed and there was Jacob, standing in the center of the room. He seemed to be less aggresive than Abe, his frame was rather smaller than his brother, his shoulders were less broad than his brother's and his hands more like the ones of a boy. His eyes examied the scared girl across the room, self pity in his expression.

"Please," Beth said, imploring "don't hurt me. I know you're not like him, you wouldn't do this to me." she pointed herself with her big blue eyes, soaked and itchy from her salty tears.

He did nothing but stare at her with his grey eyes. He gave her the same cold demonic smile of his father, came close to her and reached a hand. Beth curled herself, sobbing of terror. He gripped his hands on her neck and pulled her across the floor. He stumped her wounded body in the center of the room while unbuckled his belt. The tickling sound of the metal gave her chills on her back and tears made their way through her eyes. This time she was aware of what Jacob had planned to do to her, and deep in her insides she wanted to pass out, she wanted to have a heart attack and just die before even witness the horrors about to happen. Her arms didn't respond, her legs stiffened. Her whole body gave up to fight but indise her rage and panic were boiling her guts. He pulled himself out from his jeans and spread Beth's legs, she lying on the thin blanket over the floor. She slapped him with her weak hands, fighting as best as she could, but he shove them like flies around his head and gripped both of her wrists with one single hand. With the other hand he eased his way inside her. The move was harsh, violent, tearing, as she wasn't wet enough to accept any intrusion, the pain running inside her from down her belly to her spine. Every struggle, every movement, every violent thrust against her hips riped off her from inside, feeling his life cracking and shattering like porcelain falling against the floor.

Evil had taken her, poisoned her soul, the physical pain had tainted her, damaged her mind in such a way she wished so bad she wanted him to pull his gun and put her an end. But she was so far from even the begining of the end.


	7. Screams

_**Hello dears, I know it's been a little while since the las time I updated, being honest I had some troubles arranging the story and also got distracted by writing small prompts.**_

_**Here I present you a chapter of Beth and Daryl having their own sufferings for each other.**_

_**Once again I want to thank you for taking the time to read and comment my work. I'll be checking on your reviews and suggestions, any kind of comment you want to express.**_

_**Well, hope you enjoy it.**_

**;D**

* * *

"I'm not gonna leave you" Beth yelled from upstairs, who now was out of Daryl's sight. Walkers ran the house like a tide, filling every space inside. Daryl fought the panic of leaving Beth behind as three walkers stumbled over him, making him fall to the hardwood floor. With his hunting knife he pierced the skulls of each walker over him and stood up again, searching for Beth who now was screaming intensley from some point usptairs.

"Beth, where are you?" Desperation was consuming him, his heart beating fast inside his chest as he prayed to God to keep her safe, even if he had to give his own life. One by one walkers were falling to the ground, skulls pierced and dead once for all. The only thing that broke the silence in the house were the goosebumping screams of Beth.

"No...no, please don't...!"

"Beth, hold on!" He ran upstairs kicking every door closed, his crossbow aimed. The shrieks continued, every time sounding louder and more and more desperate and hurting. This time, they came from downstairs. In just three seconds Daryl made it to the first floor, jumping from half the stairs, landing on his knees. He kept his crossbow raised, ready to shoot at any walker or other threat on Beth who kept screaming in pain, but Beth didn't show up, and this time she could be heard from any point of the house as loud as clear. Her sobbings, her cryings, her pleadings and 'no's were driving him mad.

Daryl fell to the floor dropping his crossbow, running both hands through his hair. He also screamed but his voice was muted as if someone used a remote. Suddenly the screams ceased and a heavy silence swamped inside the house. The corpses of the walkers turned into ashes in front of his eyes and vanished into the air. The cracks of Daryl's weight over the wooden floor echoed in his own mind. Beth started screaming again, this time it was from outisde.

Daryl ran towards the front door, twisting the knob with all the force he had in his body but didn't open. He dragged a chair to smash it agaist the window glass but it was too damn heavy to lift it up. He looked through the glass and saw her struggling against two men who were pulling her from her wrists, fisting her hair in their hands as her tears trails glowed like silver threads over her face.

The two men pulled Beth inside the car and sped up, Daryl's world falling apart. It' couldn't be real. Now that he has finally found a light at the end of the tunnel, now when he was saved from damnation by that sweet angel, those bastards took her away from him. He tried everything to open the door, kicks, thrusts, even scratching the wood but nothing worked. Desperation materialized in his throat, striking his breath with a cold hard knot. He emptied his lungs trying to scream, trying to call her name, at least hear it from his own voice but it was useless. Slowly his body stiffened, falling motionless to the ground, head looking to the ceiling and his arms straight and heavy. The dim light from the house faded into darkness as he tried to open his eyes but something heavier was over his body forcing him to stay still, just as if being inside a coffin. It was death overtaking him, fear consuming him as he still was able to listen to Beth shrieking and two thick teardrops fell free from his eyes shut.

* * *

Beth had been walking for hours under the sun, her lips cracked and dried resenting her dehydration. The road was empty, not even a single car at sight where to rest a bit or scavenge to find anything useful or somethin to eat. She stopped from time to time, leaning against the hard bark of a pine tree but she knew she had to go on, even when she hadn't had a single bite of anything in the past few days. She escaped easily from those men who used her in the worst ways possible, and she preferred to starve to death than letting herself being caught again by those fuckers.

She was stil learning how to hunt, but she had nothing to use as a hunting weapon, and with her knife couldn't do any miracle for her than just cutting roots, or in the worst cases fight againts a wild animal and gut it to have meat but she knew she wasn't strong enough to fight a bear or a bobcat.

The road shifted abruptly as she kept walking, going down a curve ahead of the road. She passed the curve and far away rested a small white house she recognized immediately: the farm. Aparently that herd of walkers passed by and left quickly because she saw not a single living dead wandering the surrounds. She ran, using the last saving of her strength to reach nearer her home. The punishing heat of the sun placed heavy on her shoulders, making her lose the last drops of water she had in her body running down her temples. Her heart stopped when she saw a figure in the middle of the road. It could be a walker or a living person. Either way, she gripped her knife and walked slowly toward the unknown man, prepared to attack. The proximity made everything clear now. It was Daryl walking towards her. She knew it was him for his way of walking, how he swayed his broad shoulders and fixed his hunting gaze straight to the road. She loosed her grip from the knife and ran to him, happiness streaming inside her veins when two hands pulled her from behind. She waved her arms but the man behind her held them against her back. She screamed, yelling at Daryl, asking for help.

"No...no, please don't...Daryl!"

She enterd in panick. Her breathing rushed inside her chest, her heart speeding fast risking to suddenly stop. Daryl was not too far, he could have listened to her, but Daryl didn't move or reacted to her screams. She shouted his name desperately, the only good thing to cling to in that moment.

Daryl looked to the road and she knew he saw her. He stopped and stared confused, as if he tried to recall on her face or what was going on in front of him.

"No, please, let me go, let me go, no!" The man behind Beth threw her on the road and fear started to grow inside her. It was _him_.

She turned her head to see Daryl but he seemed to not give a single damn about what was happening, standing still in the middle of the road with his sky-blue stare fixed in the nothingness. Beth cried, her tears rolling down her temples as the man started to cut cross-form wounds on her skin. She covered herself with her arms but she got injured anyways, small lines of blood streaming from the cuts. He grabbed her wrists and shook her slender frame "Beth...Beth!"

* * *

Lights faded out completely. He snapped his eyes open, his whole body covered in sweat as he jumped out of the bed. His mind came down slowly from the twisted nightmare he had but his body was still jerking and spinning trying to focus on reality. He jerked his head to his side, listening Maggie from the room next door calming Beth down.

When she opened her eyes, Maggie was the one holding her from her wrists, rubbing her wet face with her motherly hands. "Shh, Beth, sweetheart, it's just a nightmare, shh...relax...it's over, now." Her cryings not only woke up Daryl but the others sleeping in the rooms of Silvershell. Everybody stood at the door of Beth's room, wondering what happened. Daryl made his way between Glenn and Carol who looked as concerned as he was. She gave him a look of shame, a look of fear. He could hear his own heart crack watching those sweet sky blue eyes welling tears of pain. She broke the connection between their eyes and buried her head on Maggie's chest, emptying her tears on her night gown.

"Beth..." he came closer, but out of the blue Beth hissed and curled herself in a small ball.

"Leave me alone!"

Maggie frowned at Daryl blaming him of Beth's sudden rejection, even when she didn't know for sure what he did to cause her sister back off.

Daryl wanted to stay, chase away any bad feeling and watch for her sleep. Beth crawled back to the wall, avoiding eye contact with the man in front of her.

"You too." She said to him, her voice broken. He turned back and went out of the room stepping loudly on the wooden floor.

Daryl stood awake the rest of the night. A couple of minutes later his heart twisted in pain as he listened her sobbings and cryings going on for hours. It was her very first night with her family after being lost for months, and she was still haunted by her past demons. He couldn't permit to have some sleep until the girl next door began to have a better life free of nightmares and suffering. Beth didn't want to sleep either, she trembled in sweat, her whole body covered in blankets that worked as a temporal shield against the real world.

The velvet dark of the night began to fade into navy blue, announcing the rising of a new sun. Daryl got up from bed and grabbed his flannel and pants, put on his boots and went out to hunt, the only thing he used to do to distract himself and get busy at the same time. Beth's eyes started to close at the first sunrays. The warmth of that spring morning lulled her and made her feel drowsy, falling on a deep sleep like a thin feather swinging in the wind and falling over the ground.


End file.
